Monthly Archives: March 2003

March 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Howard’s Popularity Soars

Political trends in Australia mirror those in the U.S. and Great Britain, as Prime Minister John Howard has risen in the polls since the beginning of the war. The Associated Press headlines: “Popularity of Australian prime minister soars following start of Iraq war.” “Antiwar” protests in Australia have turned nasty, as “hundreds of anti-war protesters tried to storm Australia’s parliament, demanding the withdrawal of Australian troops fighting in Iraq.” On »
March 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Suite: Judy blue eyes

Our radio hero Hugh Hewitt went to see Judy Collins and David Crosby perform Sunday night, and has made me feel a little better about the musicians I loved in my addled youth: “Judy blue eyes: What the left sees.” Hugh describes Crosby and Collins singing “In My Life” together to close the show. Judy Collins’s best of all her many albums (you know, you used to put them on »
March 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

GPS Jammers Destroyed

The U.S. says that “six satellite jamming devices, which Iraq was using to try to thwart American precision guided weapons, were destroyed and have had ‘no effect’ on U.S. military operations.” These are presumably the devices that were sold to Iraq by a Russian company in violation of U.N. sanctions. »
March 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Shields and lances

David Frum directed us to this fine commentary on the war to date by David Warren, Ottawa citizen: “Shields and lances.” »
March 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Missile defense works

Rich Lowry has the first column reporting news of one of the most significant military developments of the war: missile defense works. Don’t look for the story any time soon in the pages of the New York Times. Here it is courtesy of Town Hall: “The Patriot — It works!” »
March 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

War Coverage In English Newspapers…

…is more colorful and often more informative than in American newspapers. Here, London’s Sun sets the stage for the coming battle near Baghdad. »
March 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Polluting the news

Saving Rocket Man the trouble, Lawrenece Kudlow deconstructs the latest New York Times news story reporting war-related poll data: “Polluted news.” »
March 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

The gathering storm

The Washington Times reports that one of the operations assigned to special operations forces is the location and preservation of the records of Iraq’s intelligence service(s): “Mission aims to find intelligence agency’s files.” In the New York Times, Ibrahim Al-Marashi details the kind of materials included in these files: “Just following (Saddam Hussein’s) orders.” In the Washington Post, Ralph Peters outlines a critique of our war strategy: “Shock, awe and »
March 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Chemical Weapons to be Used?

The news tonight is full of reports that the Iraqi government (Saddam or whoever is still functioning) has ordered the troops defending Baghdad to use chemical weapons if coalition troops come within a certain distance of Baghdad. No surprise, obviously, but I doubt whether such weapons are particularly formidable against soldiers who are prepared and equipped for them, as opposed to defenseless civilian populations. The upside here, obviously, is that »
March 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Mark Steyn Points Out…

…that a number of Iraqi leaders haven’t been seen in public since last week’s bunker-buster beginning of the war. Steyn is an optimist; let’s hope he’s right. »
March 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Another American Story

Iraqi Americans demonstrate in favor of the war and in favor of freedom for Iraq in Dearborn, Michigan. They have personal experience with the nightmarish Saddamite regime. One would think that antiwar activists would want to talk to these Iraqi Americans to learn from their experience–oh, right. Just kidding. »
March 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

An American Story

There are lots of excellent bloggers; Matt Welch is one. Today he profiles Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, who was born in Guatemala, but by age 16 had made his way to the United States, riding at least 14 trains to get here. Like so many others, “Gutierrez’s past was eclipsed by his new life as an American.” He wanted to be an architect; friends described him as quiet and »
March 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

“No one loves a bomber…”

David Gelernter is provocative as always in his meditation on our impatience with the failure of Iraqis to greet us as their liberators: “Wrong answer.” »
March 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

The hinge of fate

National Review Online has posted John O’Sullivan’s fascinating column on the ongoing duel between the statesmanship of Winston Churchill and the statesmanship of Edourad Daladier as represented by their respective inheritors. O’Sullivan makes a compelling case that Chirac’s statesmanship is properly Gaullist, though I have my doubts, and makes an equally compelling case “that Blair is playing a strong hand very nervously.” The column is “Blair vs. Chirac.” »
March 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Battle of Baghdad Underway

The London Times has a good article titled “The Battle for Baghdad Begins:” “THE crucial push for Baghdad was under way last night as allied warplanes bombarded the Republican Guard to clear the way for troops to zero in on President Saddam Hussein. “The American vanguard was within 20 miles of 30,000 Republican Guards defending a city blanketed in black smoke. Bombers working on information from SAS, SBS and Delta »
March 24, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

The sorrow and the pity

Although we haven’t been trumpeting this fact lately, my wife works at the French Embassy. She called my attention to this story that occurred at the embassy last week. George Wilson, a decorated World War II veteran who participated in the invasion of Normandy, came to Washington from Pennsylvania to return to return the Jubilee of Liberty Medal that the French government awarded him in 1998. French officials at the »
March 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Sports Illustrated exposes Uday Hussein

Hugh Hewitt draws our attention to this remarkable piece from the current issue of Sports Illustrated: “Son of Saddam.” »